Workplace Stress, Physiological Responses and Personality Traits
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the contribution of personality traits in explaining the relationship between workplace stressors and variations in salivary cortisol levels.
What is cortisol?
Cortisol is an adrenal corticosteroid, a type of carbohydrate corticoid, also known as hydrocortisone in medicine. It is the most abundant of the three carbohydrate corticoids in the body, accounting for about 95% of carbohydrate corticoid activity. Its secretion is also increased by stress.
From Wikipedia
Multilevel regression analysis was performed on
be performed on a sample of 401 employees from 34 Quebec companies. Saliva samples were collected five times a day (upon awakening, 30 minutes after awakening, at 2:00 p.m., 4:00 p.m., and at bedtime) and repeated for three days. Work-related variables consisted of skill use, decision-making authority, psychological demands, physical demands, job insecurity, irregular schedule, number of hours worked, and social support from coworkers and supervisors.
Personality traits consisted of self-esteem, locus of control, and the Big Five.
Results.
Cortisol levels at awakening and 30 minutes later were significantly higher on working days than on holidays, and psychological demands and job insecurity were associated with lower cortisol levels at bedtime.
In addition, self-esteem moderated the relationship between physical demands and cortisol levels at awakening and 4 p.m., and pleasantness was associated with lower cortisol levels at awakening and 2 p.m., and further moderated the relationship between the number of working hours and cortisol at 2 p.m.
Conclusion.
Specific working conditions and specific personality traits were associated with variations in salivary cortisol levels, and salivary cortisol levels at work were found to be partially modulated by personality traits.
Parent-Lamarche, A., Marchand, A. The moderating role of personality traits in the relationship between work and salivary cortisol: a cross-sectional study of 401 employees in 34 Canadian companies. BMC Psychol 3, 45 (2015). Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-015-0102-3
Conclusion
In this study, it was found that there is variation in salivary cortisol levels depending on personality traits.
A high level of cortisol can be seen as a physiological state of well-developed tolerance to work stress, while a low level of cortisol can be seen as a state of low tolerance to stress.High self-esteem and high cooperativeness were associated with significantly higher cortisol levels from waking to 2,4 pm, which is also a state of physiological readiness for work, but low self-esteem was associated with lower cortisol levels at 2,4 pm.
In addition, people with high neurotic tendencies have been found to have higher cortisol levels at bedtime as well, although they have more support from coworkers.
Thus, the characteristics of people who adapt to stressors and resolve stress quickly were shown to have high self-esteem, good cooperation, and low neurotic tendencies.
However, it seems that these results may not hold true depending on the work situation and stressor, so it will be necessary to reflect on the work environment.
